'BEST FRIENDS' BUY COCOA COMPANY

ARLINGTON, Mass.-Two friends teamed up to purchase Best Friends Cocoa in March and began building their hot cocoa inventory in June.

Naomi Storm wanted to sell the company created more than 10 years ago and retire, explained Linda Guttman, who is now president of the company.

Guttman, who worked as a massage therapist for 18 years, had been a longtime fan of the cocoa. When she called to re-order the cocoa, Storm told her the cocoa company had ceased production in January 2002 and was for sale. Guttman and a friend, whose full, legal name is Atira, purchased the company name, recipe and packaging materials.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

In time for the Summer Fancy Food Show, a copacker mixed the first batches of the Best Friends cocoa.

The four flavors-Traditional, Raspberry Truffle, Cinnamon Twist and Marshmallow Cloud-are packaged and stored at a 600-square-foot warehouse in Limerick, Maine, and are kosher certified.

The sales office for the company is here while the company's main office is in Dayton, Maine.

Best Friends Cocoa is available direct and through the company's Web site, bestfriendscocoa.com.

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Aug 2004
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